History
'T'he main pleasure that mercado food gives, naturally, is in the eating. Nonetheless, Mexican gastronomy has another angle that is almost as much fun: That of knowing its historical roots. First of all, let's properly establish the fact that the whole panoply of Mexican cuisine is astonishingly varied and rich. This must be emphasized because Northerners often write off Mexican food as inevitably and monotonously too spicy and too greasy. That's a shame, because many who study the matter insist that Mexican food, when viewed as a whole in terms of diversity of appealing tastes and textures, imagination used in combining ingredients, and being appetizingly presented, compares favorably with any cuisine in the world, including that of the French. In 1519, when the first Spanish conquistadors entered the Aztec capital Tenochtitlan, where today Mexico City stands, they found the Aztec emperor Montezuma excessively fond of a drink concocted from vanilla and chocolate, and sweetened with honey. This was a native Mexican-Indian dish -- probably invented by the Maya -- later to find worldwide acceptance. Vanilla is a substance derived from the fruit-pod of a certain species of Mexican orchid, and chocolate comes from the fruit of the Mexican cacao tree. The conquistadors were further impressed by the variety of foods enriching Aztec diets. During colonial times, experiment-minded Spanish women and members of Spanish religious orders invented much of today's more sophisticated Mexican gastronomy. Nuns pioneered such now-traditional Mexican fare as the candy called cajeta, fritterlike buñuelos, and the egg-based liqueur called''rompope''. Also from the colonial period comes such fare as Lomo en adobo(pork loin in a spicy sauce), chiles rellenos (chilies stuffed with cheese, beef or pork), guacamole (avocado, tomato, onion, chili and coriander), and''escabeche'' (marinades). To get an idea of what a fancy Mexican dish is like, let's consider Mexico's most fervently honored dish, mole poblano, of which two sesame-seed-sprinkled dishes are shown at the right, as photographed through a store window in Puebla. Each dish is about a foot across. Mole(pronounced MOHL-leh) is a very rich, thick sauce made from several kinds of pepper and a remarkable number of seasonings, which vary from recipe to recipe, and which can number over a hundred different items. Among the prime ingredients of one recipe are ground peanuts, sesame and anise seed, cinnamon, salt, black pepper, sugar, garlic, onion, clove, coriander, tortilla, wheat bread, tomato, raisins, lard, pieces of pork, and... chocolate. Don't forget that chocolate is a native Mexican invention, so it has every right to be here.Nowadays a Mexican middle class is developing and this class appears to be driving Mexican cuisine into yet a new direction -- a generally northern one. Former tortilla eaters are becoming patrons of white bread. Licuados of papaya or orange are losing ground to Cokes and Pepsis. Many of this new kind of Mexican can't stand hot sauce any better than a gringo. Hamburgers and Kentucky Fried Chicken are all the rage. Yet, there is still a rainbow of traditional Mexican cuisine out there if you look for it. And there's no better place to find it than in and around traditional mercados http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8bPGcqZ4tY